Concert venues are among the businesses who stand to benefit from $1.25 billion earmarked for live music and the performing arts in a $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden on March 11.
In December Congress allocated $15 billion in rescue funds for the arts and entertainment industry, but the Small Business Administration (SBA), who will set up grant-funding guidelines and an application process, has yet to disburse any of the funds.
“The quicker the SBA can staff up and roll out this program, the better,” said Dayna Frank, board president of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and CEO of First Avenue Productions in Minneapolis. “The eviction notices have been coming at an even faster pace as time goes by without this emergency relief.”
Formed at the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown, NIVA now represents more than 3,000 members in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. NIVA created and led the #SaveOurStages campaign, resulting in landmark legislation establishing the “Shuttered Venue Operators” Grant program, signed into law on December 27, 2020. In July 2020 OffBeat reported that Louisiana musicians had appealed to Congress through a lobbying effort undertaken by the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO).
The Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.
Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million; $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.
Eligible entities include:
- Live venue operators or promoters
- Theatrical producers
- Live performing arts organization operators
- Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
- Motion picture theater operators
- Talent representatives, and
- Each business entity owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements
For more information about the program, visit this SBA website for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.
